Road, rail and air traffic continued to be hit as parts of north India remained under a thick layer of fog, hampering travel plans and the daily lives of people. The winter has not shown any signs of receding even after three days of Lohri, as historically, the temperature starts rising upwards following the harvest festival.
Videos of fliers stranded at airports are doing the rounds on social media as flight operations remained affected on Tuesday as well, leaving passengers enraged at airlines. However, the Civil Aviation Minister took note of the passengers’ inconvenience and asked airlines to follow measures like informing their customers regarding real-time information about flights. The situation has improved a bit since the new action plan has been put in place.
Moreover, it seems that the weather situation is not going to change this week as well, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting dense to very dense fog conditions over North India during the next 5 days.
Delhi-NCR has been experiencing sunlight during the day for the past two days but residents felt cold day conditions for the fifth consecutive day in early morning and night. The minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 3.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning and a thick layer of fog was visible in several parts of the city.
Intense cold wave conditions also prevailed in other North Indian states like Punjab and Haryana with dense fog being witnessed at many places, including Mohali, Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib.
At the same time, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) showed a marginal improvement from the previous day’s average reading. According to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was recorded at 351 (‘very poor’) at around 9 am.
Air, Rail and Road Traffic Hit Amid Foggy Weather
- Railways
According to railway officials, at least 30 Delhi-bound trains or those having a route through the national capital were running late due to foggy conditions, as on January 16.
Around 30 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country were reported to be running late due to dense fog on Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for the railways said.
- Flights
Hundreds of passengers, from old and sick to young children were stuck at airports across the country after their flights were delayed by up to 13 hours, diverted or cancelled.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also met with all ministry officials to discuss the matter. In a statement on Monday, he said the government is taking a slew of steps to improve the situation and assured people that all stakeholders are working round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact.
The Delhi airport was asked to expedite the operationalisation of the CAT III-enabled fourth runway in addition to the existing CAT III-enabled runways. Generally, CAT III compliance refers to flight operations in low visibility conditions.
- Roadways
Four people were injured in a multi-vehicle pile-up in Greater Noida on Tuesday amid dense fog in the region, police said. The accident took place in the Dadri police station area around 8.45 am, they said.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, two people were killed when their tractor fell into a canal amid reduced visibility due to a thick fog cover, police said on Tuesday. The accident took place on Monday night near the Alem bridge in Shamli district.
IMD Predictions For Upcoming Days
- Dense to very dense fog conditions are very likely to prevail for a few hours overmany parts of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi till January 18 and insome parts till January 21.
- In Uttar Pradesh, dense to very dense fog conditions are also very likely to prevail for a few hours in the night/morning till January 18 morning.
- Dense to very dense fog conditions are very likely to prevail in morning hours in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand and north Madhya Pradesh till January 18 and in isolated pockets of Bihar, and north Rajasthan till January 21.
Schools Shut Across Northern States Amidst Winter Fog
School authorities across Northern states of India have instructed shutdown of classes for children, amidst the prevalent foggy weather. The decision comes to ensure the safety and well-being of students amidst the drop in temperature.
Schools in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad, remained temporarily closed due to the dense fog conditions and cold wave, as per a Hindustan Times report.
The Haryana government have also ordered the closure of schools for students of classes 1-3 and will remain closed till Thursday.
Similarly, the Punjab government has also taken a decision to extend the closure of primary schools until January 21, as per the Hindustan Times report.
(with agency inputs)
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